In celebration of Earth Day, let's talk about sustainable travel.Start where you are, one small change at a time. Here are a few tips from Sustainable Travel International focused on the environmental aspect of sustainability which also includes balancing economic growth and human well-being, and preservation of culture.
Get off the beaten path - prevent overtourism by skipping typical tourist destinations
Stay Awhile - don't try to hit as many stops as possible on one trip. Slow down and soak up all that one destination has to offer
Rethink modes of transportation during a vacation. Savor a train ride or explore a city by bike
Conserve water + energy - travel with the refillable water bottles partners gift us!
Thank you to our fantastic board representing our Smartie community to provide feedback on current + future initiatives. We're excited to share some projects that we've shared with our Advisory Board last week and will be sharing with everyone over the next few months.
Projects on the Horizon:
Zoom phone at HQ replacing Verizon. Capability to transfer phones to ICs.
SmartieNet Upgrade in the works. Integrate into SmartFlyer.com with agent log-in.
Support Travel Manager Role - premium paid service for vacation time coverage. Conducted a test run, finalizing procedures before launching.
☕ Smarties Share Their Tips For Managing High Demand ☕
Amanda Poses: In addition to lots of caffeine, good organization is key! Her mindset is to treat each client trip as a “project”. As such, she uses a project management platform (not travel related) to stay on top of it all. The tool makes it seamless for Amanda + her team to collaborate easily with chat feature on the project, automatic check-ins, to-do lists, file sharing + more!
Beth Washington: Beth is taking a proactive approach with new inquires by educating travelers on what today's travel climate is like with “5 Need-to-Know Travel Tips for 2022” to set expectations on: lead time, increased pricing, limited availability, rapidly changing entry requirements to the impact of their travel on the local communities.
Share tips here!
📱 ITINERARY MANAGEMENT APPS 📱
Mirror, Mirror on the wall, which itinerary app is best of all? There is no right or wrong answer! The three most utilized ones are:
Luciais the newest entrant in this space. Introducing a new itinerary platform, editorially designed for telling stories and inspiring travelers. Features design skins, video, short & long-form viewing, mobile itinerary creation, and more. Join us for a preview by its founder Grace McBride on Wednesday, May 4 at 4 pm ET. [Register here]. The app is free while in beta through July + one month trial post launch. $49/month.
Whichever you decide, it will boost your efficiency + sales!
Kudos to our Smarties who made the 2022 STARS Celestial Club + LUMINOUS Crescent Club. STARS is awarded for the top travel advisors from Ritz-Carlton, Ritz -Carlton Reserve, Bulgari, EDITION, the St. Regis and The Luxury Collection. LUMINOUS hotels include: W Hotels, JW Marriott, Autograph Collection and other Marriott brands. Drumroll please!
We've told you it's coming but it is right around the corner. Our only Smartie School for 2022 kicks off next week on Monday, May 2. View final schedule here. If you would like to participate, kindly indicate your interest by emailing Amy.
📓UPCOMING AFFILIATE TRAININGS 📓
Additionally, we have two Smartie School sessions that will be open to all agents on Wednesday, May 4th. Please register in advance with the links below if you would like to join us!
Introducing:Beyond Green, Earth’s Most Sustainable Hotels. This new Hotel Collection is powered by the idea of sustainable travel with its diverse portfolio of hotels, resorts, and lodges. SmartFlyer has been invited to join Green to Gold, their VIP Program. More information can be found in Smartienet under Preferred Programs.
SmartFlyer has been invited to join Anantara Journeys. As a member, SmartFlyer advisors will have access to a world of enhanced luxury travel experiences to offer to your customers such as value-added amenities, VIP status, and a complimentary authentic Anantara experience in each of our captivating destinations, while keeping our Elevate 20% commission.
Anantara Journeys will be creating logins for all advisors but, if you need assistance in creating an account please email Leandro Cruz, lcruz@minor.com
is there someone who you think deserves to be recognized?
Perhaps there's a partner who really went above and beyond for you, a peer who helped mull over ideas that turned into an amazing booking for you clients, or maybe it was a simple something that brought a smile to your face that might lead to a feel-good outbreak for the entire team. We encourage you to share it here. We love spreading the good and we love it even more when it happens with our partners and fellow Smarties!
